Effective Literacy Website #4

VocabularySpellingCity (spellingcity.com) is an award-winning literacy website that focuses on providing game-based study of literacy skills. This site was created in 2008, and has grown from a spelling-only website to giving more attention to vocabulary and meaningful learning. VocabularySpellingCity does have a free option for teachers and students, however some of the features are only available if the premium subscription is purchased. There are many different categories on the site, including teaching resources and a careful breakdown of the purpose behind the games.

           Each game has a different purpose, but the overall goal is to assist students in adding the new words and definitions into their long-term memory. This is done by presenting the information in a variety of different ways, and having students engage in the meaning instead of just copying it down. All the teacher has to do is input the word list, and the definition is automatically pulled. The teacher can choose what type of game he/she would like students to participate in: spelling, writing, phonics, or vocabulary. These assignments can be changed as necessary. The games all have very engaging graphics, sounds, and are overall enjoyable for the person playing them. The feedback is also student-friendly, because it does not say “wrong” when an incorrect answer is provided, but “you have another chance” or “try again!”